All the climbing shops ropes are fine. I don't thing there is much difference in prices of climbing ropes. The price shouldn't be the only factor when buying a rope which your life depends on. You need a rope which you personally feel happy with. You can only make that decision.

But thanks for your input. Ja, I know about City Rock, but a bit of browsing tells me that MM's prices are pretty comparable to international, and they owe me some free shipping so I'll probably just buy there.

Yeah man, bought a Roca Fanatic from MMO November last year. Service was great, delivery prompt and the rope's been working hard. If you compare to the Beal Edlinger 10.2 x 60m (probably the closest competitor in terms of price, weight/meter and diameter) you'll find little difference - both are good middle range single ropes.

The Beal's exactly the same weight (65g per meter) and the Roca is something like R50 more.

The deciding factor here, I suspect, will be the fact that the Beal is out of stock.

About your childhood experience - I don't find anything funny about it. Respect to your milkman for being a cool guy. The part I found funny was how what you said:

Drifter wrote:Our milkman use to give me fudge

could be - if you listened to it in a context different to the one you meant - understood to mean he did something less honourable than just supply you with a sweet treat. No offense to your milkman, really.

I agree with marshall. If people could only realise the potential that this country has. Why not support the local scene. The only way locally made products can develop, is if people support them and give constructive critisism. Instead of pointing out the problems, how about posing some solutions.

I can't comment on locally made climbing rope however I find it hard to believe that country like South Africa who has a long history of industry because of the mines can't manufacture a good quality climbing rope.

If my job we use locally made construction ropes to lift heavy stuff and locally made nylon straps to lift heavy stuff and I personally find the locally made nylon straps look better made than the ones from China and there is nothing wrong with locally made construction ropes we use.

My father is not South African yet he chooses sometime to buy a South African tool which is more expensive than the equivalent imported tool not because he is patriotic South Africa but because the particularly locally made tool is such good quality.

I would agree with Marshall as well though that supporting locally produced goods creates jobs and helps the South African industry.

Salt River in Cape Town use to supply Europe with good quality clothes until the Chinese flooded the markets there with cheap clothes. South Africa use to supply some of the top boutiques in London with suits.

I buy a South African made workman’s jeans and I find them better quality than the imported Chinese jeans.

Right wheel drive BMWs are built in South African for the British market. I don't know if these are also exported to other countries where people drive on the right hand side of the road. A top German brand screwdriver is also made here.

A product you buy could be made by an American company however they could manufacturer it China or they could get parts for it from China and only assemble it in the United States.

A law has passed in South Africa on clothes where the clothes manufacture aren't allowed to say 'Made in South Africa' if the material comes from China. They have to let you know it is assembled in South African and tell you where the material comes from. Correct me if I am wrong.

South African made steel is the same quality as steel made in Japan, Britain, Germany and the United States. Chinese steel is too high in silicone, they haven't learned yet to make steel properly.

VW builds polos, golfs & jettas for Japan in SA. Daimler Chrysler in SA exports C class Mercedes to Japan. Sure they drive on the same side of the road as us in Japan, but they also have very high quality standards on imported vehicals. Standards which are met in SA.

I'm not commenting on Southern Ropes...don't know them. But when I hear \"we stay away from ... or anything else locally made\", I have to announce a new NOOB of the year.

I love local stuff!! Mrs Balls rules and Ouma should be President. Nandos is not too bad either

But Southern still sucks! I have heard way too many rumours about them and there products. Constructive crit has its place, for sure!! But when you put a dynamic rope into a system. YOU DAMN WELL WANT IT TO BE F*****N DYNAMIC. Now please someone find some form of constructive crit that could be said to make what could have gone wrong better???

I heard some one tell me a story about a product that Southern exported… I do believe it was 5mm Vectra (this stuff costs an arm and a leg and makes cable look like dental floss) It is often used in the movie industry because its so strong and so thin! When you have peoples lives on the end of a piss willy cord like that you want to know that its up to standard. Tests done in the UK found the 5mm to actually be 4.5mm. Not so serious you say until someone dies?!?